“Good news for ageing research, Alan Walker wins the first ever Impact Champion of the Year Award bringing the value of public engagement with our multidisciplinary field centre stage” Sheila Peace, May 14th 2013: For the first time the ESRC have decided to award an annual prize to recognise and reward the successes of ESRC-funded researchers who they feel that achieved outstanding economic or societal impacts. The prize celebrates success in collaborative working, partnerships, engagement and knowledge exchange activities that have led to significant impact. At the awards ceremony Broadcaster Ewan Davies managed the presentations and a short 5 minute video relating to each winner was shown. The piece regarding Alan spoke of his significant track record in knowledge exchange, and supporting and enabling impact particularly through funded research programme. In talking about the NDA reference was made by Dr. Andrew Newman, Newcastle University to his work on ‘Contemporary visual art and identity construction – wellbeing amongst older people’ as an example showing the breadth of impact from the programme. Nominations were requested by ESRC and 68 teams/people applied. The judging panel were:

Mr David Walker, writer and broadcaster specialising in public policy and management. Chair of the Celebrating Impact Prize panel and member of the ESRC Council.

Mr Neil Serougi, independent health informatics research and policy consultant. Member of the Methods and Infrastructure Committee, ESRC

Professor Clare Wallace, professor of Sociology and Vice-Principal for Research and Knowledge Exchange at University of Aberdeen, member of the ESRC Research Committee

Mr Graeme Nicol, SME Consultant and former ESRC Research Council member

Dr. Karen Bultitude, lecturer in Science Communication and Director of Research in the department of Science and technology Studies in UCL.

A prize of £10,000 is awarded to the winners of each entry and £10,000 to the department with the Impact Champion of the Year, with second prizes of £5000 for each runner up. The prize is to be spent on furthering knowledge exchange, public engagement or other communications activities to promote the economic and social impact of research. The awards were for:

The latest CABS/CPA seminar was held on 14th February: 'Studies of ageing masculinities: still in their infancy?'. Many thanks to Anna Tarrant, Robin Hadley (Keele University) and Jackie Watts for organising such a great day, with lots of discussion. Rebecca Jones has blogged about the day here, and Anna's Storify is below.

Relatively unusually for a journal that focuses primarily on science, the December 6th 2012 edition of Nature has a comprehensive section on ageing in Nature Outlook which presents statistical information about demographic and neurological changes, current scientific research looking at genetic components in ageing, and an interview with a husband and wife team Eva and Boaz Kahana - veteran US gerontologists. In her interview Eva Kahana emphasises the impact of some of her previous work as well as her current work promoting advocacy for older people: ‘We now have a study teaching disadvantaged older people at senior centres to communicate with their doctors, for example, to prepare questions in advance of an appointment, or to take somebody along who can listen in case they don’t catch something. That way, they can advocate for themselves and notjust be passive healthcare consumers.’Similarly she talks about her earlier assumptions that all people aspire to the same things, leading to her revisiting these and developing her theory of ‘person–environment fit’ - a model for understanding how living environments affect older people’s well-being. This is used extensively throughout gerontology and notably in the research undertaken by CABs members.In the current blog put out by the Medical Sociology group of the BSA, Judith Green from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical medical writes ‘Can we afford to abandon universal benefits’ discussing the threat to many different benefits in the UK. She discusses examples of hardship as a result of the changes in child benefit and also demonstrates the benefit to society in general as well as to older people specifically of bus passes: ‘Economic arguments that we can no longer afford this ‘luxury’ will not convince, unless they also cost in the losses to wellbeing from undercutting universalism. Our recent study on free bus passes for older citizens shows how the bus pass had wide ranging positive impacts on the health and wellbeing of older citizens. Providing not just access to vital goods and services, but also an indispensible ‘lifeline’ to social participation, bus passes were a way to get out and about and defend against loneliness, a real risk for health. A bus pass means you can take as many trips as you like, shopping around, visiting friends, getting exercise, meeting people, exchanging news and views, and benefiting psychologically from being part of the everyday spectacle of public life.However, these benefits did not accrue from an individual having a subsided fare, but largely from the fact that ALL older citizens could use the buses. It was vital was that the bus pass was for everyone, and understood as an entitlement that had been earned as a right, not a charitable subsidy based on need. Using buses then becomes not just a mode of transport for the poor, or those unable to drive, or with no other options. It becomes the mode of choice, because you are likely to meet other people – and other people from a range of communities. This has tangible benefits for those using the bus pass, and importantly, because it is universal there is no stigma attached to its use. It has benefits for other bus users, keeping otherwise poorly used routes viable. Just as importantly, it has benefits for the whole population, in helping decouple ‘public transport’ from ‘low status’ transport, an absolutely essential precondition of weaning people off cars to develop more sustainable transport environments.’The economic costs of means testing benefits go beyond those borne by the no-longer entitled, and are far more burdensome than those of administering the means testing. They are likely to include those difficult to calculate costs of the damage to the wellbeing of recipients of stigmatising benefit uptake. And, far into the future, they will include the incalculable costs to the public health of stepping back from our commitments to such public goods as the health of future generations, or the mobility and social life of older citizens *One of the comments to Judith’s blog illustrates the advantages of bus passes facilitating free and accessible transport to older people en route to provide child care for their grandchildren (something I do myself using my ‘freedom pass’) . A bit of joined up thinking might be in order for the current ‘co-alition’ or should they be termed ‘colliding’ government. ’* Judith Green, Alasdair Jones and Helen Roberts (2013) More than A to B: the role of free bus travel forthe mobility and wellbeing of older citizens in London. Ageing and Society / FirstView Article / January 2013, pp 1 23. DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X12001110, Published online: 06 November 2012Posted by Jeanne Katz

Studies of ageing masculinities: still in their infancy?1-day seminar Dr Anna Tarrant (Open University), Mr Robin Hadley (Keele University), Dr Jackie Watts (Open University) and the CABS research group at the Open University are pleased to announce a one-day seminar on ‘Studies of ageing masculinities’.Date: Thursday 14th February 2013Venue: The Open University in London, 1-11 Hawley Crescent, Camden, London, NW1 8NPAim: The event brings together scholars from different disciplines to consider the contemporary social lives of older men. Sociological and gerontological research concerning men’s ageing remains piecemeal and under-theorised despite recognition of the gendered nature of ageing and burgeoning recognition that older men and their needs are largely absent and less considered in academic and public rhetoric. In this context, this timely one-day workshop seeks to improve understanding of contemporary men’s ageing by showcasing current research in this area, to forge a multi-disciplinary network of scholars, practitioners and end users interested in men’s ageing, and to generate future research collaborations.Programme: Speakers include Dr Kate Davidson (University of West England), Dr Paul Simpson (Manchester University), Dr Kate Bennett (University of Liverpool), Dr Anna Tarrant and Robin Hadley (PhD researcher, Keele University).Audience: Academics at all career stages, post-graduates to professors and practitioners with interests in ageing and gender. We would especially welcome PhD students.Price: Tickets are priced at £30 - students and concessions £20.Register: Registrations for this event are now open.To register please visit our website and download a registration form. You will need to complete this and return it along with your payment to:Research & Enterprise Events Team, Faulty of Health & Social Care, Horlock Building, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA. If you have any queries about this event, please email us at hsc-re-events@open.ac.uk

As the newest member of CABS I thought it would be a good idea to introduce my research and myself to the CABS blogosphere! I joined the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the Open University in April 2012 and have now officially been to my first meeting, which was a thoroughly enjoyable and useful experience. I have joined CABS because of my research interests in ageing masculinities, men’s roles in society and families, and grandparenting. I previously conducted my PhD research at Lancaster University, which was about the contemporary geographies of grandfathering. I was interested in learning about what men do as grandfathers, where they grandfather and how important it is to them in forming their identities. I found grandfathering to be incredibly significant in the lives of the men I interviewed. They discussed a range of practices that they each variably engaged in with their grandchildren from caring and babysitting, to walking and other leisure activities and even nappy changing! The data supported feminist literature that argues that in some families the practices and spatiality’s of grandparenting reflect a continued gendered division of labour in families later in life. Others however showed that grandfathering is an opportunity for some men to transform gendered familial routines, particularly around childcare. In terms of developing my research, I am now interested in understanding how grandparents are assessed by social workers when they want to become formal kinship carers for their grandchildren. To continue to develop my thinking about older men’s roles in society though, I am delighted that CABS is supporting me in running a one-day seminar about ageing masculinities, to be held on Tuesday 14th February 2014 in the OU’s Camden Offices. Watch this space for further information about the seminar!If you are interested in finding more about me, I have my own blog site, which I use for discussing my research and other news relating to my work. You can view this here. I am also Managing Editor of PhD2Published, a blog site aimed at PhD students and Early Career Researchers, which explores the how to of academic publishing in the contemporary academy. You can also follow me on Twitter at @dratarrant.

This is a subjective account of two related experiences: having a fall and being interviewed about that fall.

In March (2012), out of the blue, I was approached by a friend-cum-gerontologist, asking me if I would be willing to join a focus group of older people to discuss falls: ‘The aim is to have a fairly informal talk with a small group of people, over 65 years old who have had a fall outdoors within the last year. We want to hear people’s experiences, views and ideas’. Apparently they were a little short of men.

Occasionally of course, older gerontologists reflect on the challenge of interpreting their own personal experiences of ‘being of an age’. Generally however, one has to pass a certain birthday such as your 65th, before being invited ‘out of the blue’ to be a representative ‘older person’. This was my first such experience and I agreed to take part, both through curiosity and with a sense of obligation to fellow researchers. Upon entering the designated room at the appointed hour, the other participants were waiting. It seemed probable (but I may be wrong) that they had been recruited through local groups of older people – Age Concern or whatever – and that I was the only one who had been contacted through other networks. They had what was for me the familiar ‘look’ of a group of ‘older people’ brought together to discuss age-related issues.

We each recounted our personal experience of having had a recent fall and the part that we thought age may have played in this. As I remember – several months later – all the other falls were ascribed to ‘classic’ later life circumstances and weaknesses. I offered an account of my accident (see below) as objectively as possible but probably I said it was the kind of fall I’ve been having all my life, thereby dissociating the experience from age. After some open discussion (which tended to veer off the topic of falls), the meeting closed. We were asked if we were willing to be interviewed at a later date and, if possible, taken to where the fall had occurred. I agreed. I came away from the group feeling somewhat distant from the other older people there. Whereas my fall had resulted from lifelong risky habits (see below), the others were ‘talking up’ the peculiar circumstances they had found themselves in, in their old age.

In October, I was asked if I was available to be interviewed. Come the hour, there were two researchers on my doorstep. I invited them in for a cup of tea. One, let’s call her Ann, the researcher employed on the project, was visiting Swansea for a couple of days. I’d guess she was about 30 years of age, perhaps a little less. The second, Sue, lived in Swansea and was perhaps 40 to 50. In June I had celebrated my 70th birthday and was somewhat sensitive to matters of age. Sue had been at the focus group in March, but not Ann. Perhaps I should point out that there was no reference in the exchanges that followed to the fact that I was a retired gerontologist.

With the tea drunk, Ann brought out a standard, thankfully brief, questionnaire. The questions were not particularly unusual and I don’t now remember any of them. I was a little relieved when the time came to visit the site of my fall. We got up, donned our coats and set off.

At this point, it seems sensible to describe the location of the accident and then what happened, before returning to the interview. I fell quite close to where I live in Swansea. There are two four-sided blocks of typically Welsh terraces between my home and the dentist’s. To get there I walk up a fairly steep road, crossing three roads that tend to follow the contours. To cross the third there is an old-fashioned Zebra crossing and, immediately in front, there is a long terrace. At the nearer end, there is our local health centre and at the other our dentist’s. The distance from home to dental surgery is about 300 yards. In many ways, where we live is an ideal setting for later life: easy access by foot or bus to most services, and a relatively pedestrian-friendly environment.

That day, for reasons I can’t remember, I only set off to the dentist’s around the time I was due to be there. As a result I set off up the hill in a hurry. I was rushing if not exactly running. I remember thinking I was making good progress and even that I was rather fitter than I thought I was.

Half way there, there is a momentary respite, since the road to cross provides a break in the climb up the hill. At the other side, however, the pavement is at its steepest. Moreover, there are channels built into it to enable rainwater to drain away from the adjacent front gardens, and a long strip of the pavement had been re-layed following the burying of internet cables. So at this point the pavement has a steep and uneven surface. Shortly after resuming my climb, my right foot caught on something and I fell forward. In re-telling the story I claim that, when going up hill, the pavement in front is nearer than it would be on the flat. And so, as I stumbled and my left hand went out, the pavement was closer to my head. Although my hand broke my fall, it did not prevent my forehead from hitting the pavement. I can remember seeing my hand going out and then finding myself sprawled on the ground. I think I was aware at that point that my forehead was bleeding and possibly I found and applied a paper tissue. It was at this moment however, that a tall young male student, coming down the hill, stopped to ask ‘Are you alright?’ The immediate reaction of course is to think what a stupid question that is, but of course it was kindly meant: he was offering to help, possibly to get me back on my feet. Feeling embarrassed and cross, I declined the offer, thanked him and started back up the hill again.

I had fifty yards or so in which to decide what to do next. I could feel a bump swelling and there was some bleeding to stem. My mind considered ‘popping’ in to the Health Centre to get the gash dressed. Then I realised that there was no chance this might be done quickly; perhaps I should return home. But I wanted to get to the dentist’s, didn’t feel too bad and so carried on. When I got there I was able to clean myself up a little and, when I was called, my dentist found an ice bag in his fridge. So I sat there, in the chair, holding this bag to my head, whilst he examined my teeth.

I have told the story a number of times since it has a comic charm, not least the image of me finally making it to the dentist’s chair. But it’s not unrelated to the question of age. Arguably the initial distraction which led to me rushing was age-related – failing to remember an appointment when busy doing other things. And then perhaps I would not have fallen so badly, if at all, had I been 30 or so years younger. And, faced with the young student, I may have felt humiliated as a result of my failings seemingly due to age.

This then is the story of the fall which I was happy to re-tell. Ann and Sue were not the first to hear it and, as with all ‘good stories’, despite wanting to produce an accurate account, I may simplify or dramatise it in the re-telling. Ann asked me about possible changes in my behaviour. Did I now avoid walking up the hill? Do I think a walking stick might reduce the risk of falling? And so on. When we reached the spot where it happened, I tried ‘forensically’ to identify the guilty obstacle on the pavement that had ‘caused’ me to fall, but this didn’t prompt any further questions. It was a fairly cold day and soon it seemed I had supplied them with sufficient information for their research.

Now, I ask myself were Ann and Sue operating within the ‘decline’ model of age? It’s widely recognised that falling in later life is a significant risk factor, and that a fall can precipitate many years of ill-health, poor mobility or social isolation. I wouldn’t dispute this. The aim of the research, according to the project’s information leaflet, was “to find out how older people’s quality of life might be improved by making outdoor environments easier to use and less likely to cause people to slip, trip, or fall”. Looking back now, it seems to me that their research was not aimed at finding out how that particular fall might have been prevented by, for example, improvements to the pavement. Rather it was how older people such as myself might avoid experiencing similar accidents in the future. To that end their questions were focused on my own possible failings and risky behaviours rather than the quality of the immediate environment in which I had fallen.

I like the idea of research being undertaken ‘in situ’ and so I’d been looking forward to re-living the experience of the fall. Disappointingly this had not happened but who know what the consequences might have been had I had the chance!

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 16th November 2012, this episode of Thinking Allowed featuring Julia Johnson is still available on the BBC iPlayer: well worth a listen.'Residential care revisited - Laurie Taylor considers Peter Townsend's landmark research, 'The Last Refuge', fifty years after its publication. Retracing Townsend's footsteps, a hundred, older volunteer researchers sought to find out what had happened to the 173 care homes in his classic study. Julia Johnson, one of the authors of the new study, charts the changes and continuities in care for older people in England and Wales. She's joined by Robin Darton, an expert in social care.'The book 'Residential care Transformed: Revisiting 'The Last Refuge' (2010 hardback: paperback edition, 2012) was co-written by Julia Johnson, Sheena Rolph, and Randall Smith.

About the book:Residential care homes are an important resource for older people yet they remain stigmatized and under-valued. Drawing on data deposited at the University of Essex, UK this book revisits Peter Townsend's classic study of residential care in England and Wales, The Last Refuge, published in 1962. With the help of a hundred older volunteer researchers, the authors traced what happened to the 173 homes that Townsend visited. They also revisited 20 of the surviving local authority, voluntary and private homes so as to compare them then and now.

Written in an engaging and accessible style, the book straddles the boundary between history and sociology and reviews: the policy context and the history of research into residential care for older people over the last 50 years; provides new insights into the continuing history of residential care for older people about what kinds of homes have survived and why; makes comparisons between particular homes today and in the past demonstrating not only substantial changes but also strong continuities; reveals persisting inequalities in the standard of care home provision in the early 2000s in England and Wales and discusses the ethical and practical challenges involved in designing a revisiting study, reusing archived data and in engaging older people as 'volunteer' researchers.

The book includes some previously unpublished photographs from the Peter Townsend Collection which when set beside those taken in the early 21st century illustrate not only continuity and change in residential care but also in visual representations of older people.

In our search for the best (easiest/neatest) blog for CABS, this is version 3, with a shiny new url. All the older blogs from the past few years can still be read, by looking under 'Archive' in the right-hand side bar.

Author

We are researchers in gerontology and ageing across the life course, based at The Open University, UK, but blogging as individuals. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of The Open University. The University takes no responsibility for any material on these pages.